MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican telecoms giant America Movil, controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim, will respond to a challenge from U.S. carrier AT&T by offering some subscribers free calls to and data in the United States, and will also invest $6 billion in its network in Mexico, its chief executive said on Thursday.

AT&T has challenged America Movil on its home turf with the purchases of two Mexican wireless operators. America Movil Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hajj said the company would eliminate roaming charges from Mexico to the United States for post-pay customers who opt to pay an extra 50 pesos ($3.16) per month.

Mexico awarded Wednesday two new national broadcast networks to two lesser-known local media tycoons, in an effort to increase competition in a market dominated by the longstanding TV duopoly of Grupo Televisa and Azteca. After a long auction process, the telecom regulator said the new TV networks will be licensed to Grupo Radio Centro, one of the country’s biggest radio broadcasters led by Francisco Aguirre, and Grupo Imagen of Olegario Vázquez, who also owns Mexican newspaper Excelsior, several radio stations and regional pay-TV channels.

Mexico hopes to launch the tender for a $10 billion national mobile broadband network by early October, the country’s transport and communications ministry (SCT) said on Wednesday. Creation of the network was written into Mexico’s constitution as part of a telecoms sector overhaul finalized last year that aims to boost competition and investment in a sector dominated by billionaire Carlos Slim’s America Movil. The project, which he government estimates will cost $10 billion over 10 years, will give Slim’s mobile competitors better coverage without relying on America Movil’s network or bearing the cost of building their own.

San Juan Yaee, Oaxaca is a small town of 500 people in Mexico that, until very recently, did not have access to their own cell phone network, according to a recent article in Wired. Rhizomatica, a telecommunications non-profit based in Oaxaca, is looking to change that by installing a cell phone tower and a network. Yaee will be one of hopefully six more networks installed throughout Oaxaca by the end of the year.

Yaee and other communities pay 120,000 pesos ($8,000 dollars) upfront for the equipment and installation, about one-sixth of what Mexican commercial provider Movistar charges for a similar rural installation. Seventy five percent of the payment covers the cost of hardware, and the remaining portion is for Rhizomatica’s time and expenses. After installation, subscribers to the community network will pay 30 pesos (about $2) per month for local calls and texts. After paying for electricity and maintenance, the leftover profit is for the town.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto speaks about the country’s telecommunications industry, energy assets and economic policies. Peña Nieto, speaking with Bloomberg’s Erik Schatzker, also discusses Mexico’s crime issues, the legalization of marijuana in some U.S. states and immigration (This report is in English and Spanish).

Carlos Slim’s America Movil (AMXL.MX) said on Wednesday it had created a committee to evaluate options in response to an overhaul of Mexico’s telecommunications sector which aims to curb its dominance.

The committee will study “structural, commercial, technological and other options … as well as the opportunities offered by the new Mexican regulatory framework,” the company said in a statement.

Mexico’s telecommunications regulator said Thursday that it completed its investigation to determine which companies are dominant in their respective markets, and will unveil the results once the companies have been notified.